International Laser Australian Championships - Burton confirms status
by Peter Campbell on 31 Dec 2012
Mark rounding incident during today’s racing on the Derwent - 2012 Audi Australian Laser championship Dane Lojek
Young Sydney sailor Tom Burton is currently ranked by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) as the number one Laser sailor in the world and he showed why on Hobart’s River Derwent yesterday.
Burton’s first and a third place in moderate sailing conditions, following a first and a second in a gale on Saturday, has placed him at the top of the leaderboard in the Audi Australian Laser championship being sailed out of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.
Burton is among 142 sailors from around Australia and overseas competing in the Laser championships, with divisions for the Standard rig (the Olympic men’s single-handed dinghy), the Radial (Olympic women’s single-handed dinghy) and the 4.7 for youth sailors.
After four races in the Laser Standard Rig division, Burton, from Gosford Sailing Club, has a score of seven points, with another NSW sailor, Ashley Brunning from Middle Harbour Yacht Club on 10 points, and Queenslander Jared West from Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron on 13 points.
In the Laser Radial class, Tristan Brown from Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club has had two first and two seconds to a total of six points, while just one point behind is world champion and youth sailor Mark Spearman who has notched up two firsts, a second and a third.
Just one point further back is Victorian Thomas Vincent on eight points who has two wins, a second and a fourth.
Best placed Tasmanians are Rohan Langford, 11th overall and Emma Barton 24th overall and fifth among the strong women entry.
In the Laser 4.7 class, current national champion Jack Felsenthal from Victoria’s Sandringham Yacht Club holds a commanding lead after scoring two firsts and a second in the three races so far sailed to have four points on the board in the low-scoring system.
In second place overall, on 10 point is Christopher Charlwood from the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Western Australia with an 11-3-1 result 15 points.
Also on 15 points is Victorian Sam Hannah from Sandringham Yacht Club with placing of 2-9-4.
Ed Hargreaves is the best placed Tasmanians in the Laser 4.7 class, 14th overall with a 13-16-11 scorecard.
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/105153